Global coffee chain introduces first single-origin offering from Southwest China's Yunnan province

Starbucks Coffee Co, the global coffee chain, has introduced its first single-origin coffee from Southwest China's Yunnan province, in an effort to help local coffee growers boost their income.

Launched in January, the coffee was available for a limited time across all Starbucks retail locations in the Chinese mainland.

The new product pays tribute to four years of close business ties between the Starbucks China Farmer Support Center and local coffee farmers in Pu'er, Yunnan province.

Located at the same latitude as other well-known coffee-producing regions including Colombia and Jamaica, Pu'er is the coffee capital of China.

The distinctive packaging of the Starbucks single-origin Yunnan coffee is inspired by its subtropical landscape, which is home to soaring mountains, freshwater creeks, and vibrant coffee and tea plantations.

Belinda Wong, CEO of Starbucks China, said the Starbucks Yunnan Coffee Project was about creating a positive effect on the local coffee-producing communities and that the company was thrilled to bring this vision to life with the launch of this special product.

Currently Starbucks purchases its coffee from farmers in more than 30 countries and this is the first time it is introducing a single-origin coffee from China.

Wong said: "We will continue to build on the strong foundations established by the Starbucks China Farmer Support Center to deepen our partnership with local farmers and to develop even more localized, high-quality coffee that can be celebrated and enjoyed in Starbucks stores across China and the rest of the world."

Yunnan produces 30,000 metric tons of coffee annually, making up roughly 98 percent of China's total output, data from the Ministry of Agriculture show.

The Seattle-based coffee company established its first Asia-based Starbucks Farmer Support Center in Pu'er in 2012.

In the past four years, the Starbucks Farmer Support Center has trained almost 10,000 farmers in Yunnan on sustainable farming practices. More than 1,200 farms, covering nearly 11,000 hectares of land, are verified through the company's Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices, a program that ensures high-quality coffee grown in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.

The company said it will continue to pay premium pricing based on the quality of the coffee. Thanks to this policy, a local coffee farmer made an extra 180,000 yuan ($26,144) for his higher-quality coffee in the 2016 harvesting season, significantly supplementing his regular commercial coffee sales.

Starbucks has a long history of working with Yunnan coffee farmers. It launched a special coffee line with whole beans grown in Yunnan, called South of the Clouds Blend, featuring high-quality Yunnan arabica beans.

With support from local and provincial governments, the product is now available in Starbucks stores in numerous locations across Asia and the US.

Ding Lixin, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing, said it was equally important to make a profit while raising farmers' income, protecting the environment and growing crops with high-end farming technologies.

China, a largely tea-drinking nation, is developing a thirst for coffee, mainly due to an increase in its young consumers who are accustomed to Western lifestyles.

Ding said: "Professional farming training and innovation activities will be the key to bringing a practical solution to Yunnan's coffee growers".

zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn